Patterned inorganic layers, radiation based patterning compositions and corresponding methods

Abstract

Stabilized precursor solutions can be used to form radiation inorganic coating materials. The precursor solutions generally comprise metal suboxide cations, peroxide-based ligands and polyatomic anions. Design of the precursor solutions can be performed to achieve a high level of stability of the precursor solutions. The resulting coating materials can be designed for patterning with a selected radiation, such as ultraviolet light, x-ray radiation or electron beam radiation. The radiation patterned coating material can have a high contrast with respect to material properties, such that development of a latent image can be successful to form lines with very low line-width roughness and adjacent structures with a very small pitch.

What we claim is: 
     
       1. A structure comprising a substrate and a coating material on a surface of the substrate, wherein the coating material comprises metal ions with radiation sensitive ligands and wherein the coating material has an average thickness from 5 nm to 30 nm, wherein exposure of the coating material to UV, EUV and/or electron-beam radiation alters the chemical properties of the coating material creating an exposed coating material with differential dissolution rates between exposed and un-exposed regions of the coating material. 
     
     
       2. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the metal ions comprise metal suboxide ions. 
     
     
       3. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the metal of the metal ions comprises Cu, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, In, Sn, Sb, Hf, Ta, W, Ir, Pt, La, Ce, Pr, Nb, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       4. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the radiation sensitive ligands comprise peroxide ligands. 
     
     
       5. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the coating material further comprises polyatomic anions. 
     
     
       6. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the average thickness is from 5 nm to 25 nm. 
     
     
       7. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the coating material has high absorption of EUV radiation relative to conventional radiation-based resists. 
     
     
       8. The structure of  claim 1  having a metal ion to radiosensitive ligand ratio of at least 2. 
     
     
       9. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the coating material has been heated to temperatures from 45° C. to 150° C. 
     
     
       10. The structure of  claim 1  wherein following exposure an exposed coating region is insoluble in an aqueous solvent. 
     
     
       11. The structure of  claim 1  wherein following exposure an exposed coating region is soluble in an organic solvent. 
     
     
       12. The structure of  claim 1  wherein the coating material can be effectively patterned with UV radiation or EUV radiation at a dose of no more than 100 mJ/cm 2 .